Toronto Raptors vs LA Clippers game met a hostile reaction from Canadian fans during the US national anthem.
As per Guardian, the spectators booed off throughout the anthem on Sunday, continuing the latest trend at sporting events in Canada.
Along with that, a day prior Minnesota Wild and Detroit Red Wings also met the same fate in Ottawa and Calgary.
The games came hours after Donald Trump made his threat of import tariffs on Canada a reality.
During the game at the Scotiabank Arena in downtown Toronto, fans initially cheered the 15-year-old girl singing the anthems, which later turned into boos when she started The Star-Spangled Banner.
Michael Grange, a Sportsnet reporter present at the game turned to X, noting that the fans emphasised the word "free” in the Canadian anthem, showing their reaction to the tax.
Raptors forward Garrett Temple, who is American, backed the reaction, noting, "A lot of things bigger than basketball going on in the world right now."
He added, "At the end of the day, we play in an arena that’s in Canada and they’re Canadian citizens, so they have a certain feeling about the trade situation going on, the tariffs. The people that booed let their thoughts be known."
Fans booing to show their reaction is not something new, as in early 2000's sports enthusiast booed off to show their disapproval of US-led war in Iraq.
